GMAP: Systematically Grooming Africa’s Next Generation of Young Talents
At a time when unemployment and skills shortages continue to test Africa’s economic resilience, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is charting a deliberate path towards the future by investing heavily in young talent. Through its Graduate Management Acceleration Programme (GMAP), the bank is not merely recruiting fresh graduates but systematically building a leadership pipeline designed to sustain growth, drive innovation, and secure its competitive edge across the continent. With over 5,000 graduates trained since inception and more than 700 newly inducted into its workforce, the initiative underscores UBA’s long term strategy of positioning human capital at the centre of its expansion and transformation agenda. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is steadily positioning itself for long term growth and continental leadership through deliberate investment in young talent, as its Graduate Management Acceleration Programme (GMAP) continues to produce a new generation of skilled banking professionals.
With over 5,000 graduates trained since inception and more than 700 newly inducted into its workforce, the initiative reflects the bank’s strategic response to youth unemployment, leadership succession, and the growing demand for competent professionals across Africa’s financial sector.
The programme has steadily evolved into one of the continent’s most recognised private sector initiatives for youth empowerment, providing graduates with world class training, hands on experience, and a clear pathway to leadership in the financial services industry. With each graduating cohort, UBA continues to strengthen its human capital base while contributing meaningfully to economic transformation across Africa.
The graduation ceremony, held at the Landmark Events Centre, Lagos last Thursday, was graced by esteemed guests, including UBA’s top management, faculty members, mentors, and the graduating class, highlighting the culmination of an intensive journey towards leadership excellence.
Strong Female, Continental Representation
Cohort 19 of the GMAP graduates consisted of 306 exceptional young professionals comprising 192 females and 114 males. A breakdown of the cohort shows that 298 of them are Nigerians, while eight others are from different African countries namely Sierra Leone (3), Uganda (2), Republic of Benin (1), Tanzania (1), and Côte d’Ivoire (1). Cohort 20, on the other hand, comprised 414 talented Nigerians, including 243 females and 171 males.
With the new cohort of 720 trainees, 435 of whom are women and account for over 60 per cent of the intake, the programme stands as a powerful testament to the bank’s unwavering commitment towards women’s empowerment and gender inclusion in leadership development.
The milestone induction, which welcomed Cohorts 19 and 20 into the bank’s dynamic workforce, underscores the institution’s strategic focus on nurturing Africa’s next generation of high performing talent equipped to drive innovation and sustainable growth.
Bridging the Talent Gap Across Africa
With Africa’s youth population growing rapidly, investing in human capital has become more crucial than ever. Recognising this reality, United Bank for Africa took a proactive approach to bridging the talent gap through its Graduate Management Accelerated Programme, a flagship initiative equipping young Africans with the skills and experience needed to excel in banking and finance.
GMAP has produced graduates who will embark on careers within the UBA Tribe, bringing energy, innovation, and fresh perspectives to the organisation and represents the next generation of banking leaders who will drive financial inclusion and sustainable growth across the continent.
Undoubtedly, the role of the private sector in shaping Africa’s economic future cannot be overstated. With increasing demand for skilled professionals and rising competition in the financial services sector, investment in training has become a necessity rather than a choice.
Recognising this responsibility, UBA positioned GMAP as more than just a training initiative. The programme stands as a beacon of youth empowerment, equipping young Africans with the knowledge, discipline, and practical experience required to succeed in a dynamic banking environment.
Responsibility of the Private Sector
UBA’s Group Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu, highlighted the significance of the initiative in bridging the unemployment gap and equipping young professionals with the skills needed to thrive in Africa’s evolving financial landscape.
“This milestone is more than just numbers. It signifies UBA’s commitment to youth empowerment. Unemployment remains one of Africa’s greatest challenges, and while governments play a role, the private sector must also contribute meaningfully. GMAP is our way of taking action to improve lives and drive economic transformation,” Elumelu stated.
Since its inception, GMAP has successfully trained and graduated 5,000 young professionals across several cohorts, many of whom have progressed into key roles within UBA. The programme provides graduates with hands on experience in areas such as Sales, Credit Analysis, Group Finance, and Treasury, ensuring their preparedness for leadership positions within the bank.
As part of its long term vision, UBA ensures that GMAP graduates are provided with structured career growth opportunities, comprehensive training and mentorship, innovation driven work environments, performance based recognition systems, and early leadership exposure designed to prepare them for senior responsibilities.
While welcoming and addressing the fresh intake, Elumelu reiterated the importance of ambition, discipline, and institutional pride, describing the gathering as living proof that Africa’s future belongs to its youth.
“I am so happy to see smiling, young faces. You know, they say the future of Africa belongs to our youth, and as I see all of you, I see that in action. Welcome to UBA Group. Congratulations on being part of our family,” he stated.
Elumelu challenged the graduates to take personal ownership of their performance and to exhibit the discipline that distinguishes great institutions from average ones.
“Selecting the right people, training them, developing them, nurturing them, and getting them to align with the vision is not easy. But it is critical for sustained success. What we must do is institutionalise our approach, to build an organisation that can deliver and create systems that endure, so that perpetuity is achieved,” Elumelu said.
Counseling them on the imperativeness of hard work, he added: “With hardwork, you can achieve your potential. Discipline and hard work are the routes to success. Hard work, passion and relentlessness are very critical to success. It is your ability to achieve your destiny that will count. We are humans and sometimes we derail but when you derail, bring yourself back. Make early life sacrifices for a better future.”
Building Careers through Consistency
Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Oliver Alawuba, reflected on his professional journey from a young banker to the head of the institution, reminding the graduates that leadership is earned through discipline, competence, and perseverance.
“Our young Africans are equipped to drive Africa into excellence. Your current role is not your final destination. If we could rise, you can rise too, because the journey is not reserved for a special class of people. It is reserved for people who decide to grow and then do the work,” he said.
He described the diversity of the GMAP graduates as “a beautiful representation of our pan African dream,” emphasising that the programme continues to strengthen the bank’s leadership pipeline.
Alawuba anchored his address in UBA’s corporate ethos — the 3Es of Excellence, Enterprise, and Execution — and the SRG persona of Simplicity, Responsiveness, and Goal orientation, challenging each new hire to make these values visible in their daily conduct.
The GMD further told the graduates that: “Together, you are 720 new leaders joining our UBA family. When we add you to the 3,926 graduates from Cohorts 1 through 18 and look at the 395 bright talents currently in Cohort 21 training (232 females, 163 males), we see a powerful movement: over 5,000 young Africans equipped and deployed to drive excellence across our continent.
“This is not just a programme – it is UBA’s living commitment to Africa’s future. So today, we are not just graduating individuals. We are strengthening a leadership supply chain – one that keeps UBA competitive, resilient, and future ready.”
He reminded them that graduation represents the beginning of a new phase of responsibility. “The real work starts now. The GMAP has prepared you with classroom learning, simulations, field assignments, and mentorship from senior executives. But now comes a more demanding test: The test of consistency.”
Rigorous Selection Process that Reflects High Standards
Providing insight into the selection process, the Group Head, Human Resources, Mrs. Modupe Akindele, disclosed that a staggering 14 million young Africans applied for the GMAP, demonstrating the programme’s popularity and credibility across the continent.
She explained that the rigorous selection process ensures that only the most qualified candidates are admitted into the programme.
“We have six weeks academic session and we then have on the job training. So, it’s a combination of the academic six weeks programme and on the job training they did that accumulate into what you see today,” she said.
Akindele expressed confidence that the programme would continue to produce future leaders within the organisation.” “We are hoping that as the programme continues because it doesn’t stop here, in three years time, branch managers, head of departments etc will surface from the GMAP graduates because it’s a continuum. They are our future leaders meant to succeed the executive management. This is the beginning of a great journey.”
Celebrating Excellence and Outstanding Performance
The ceremony also provided an opportunity to recognise outstanding performance among the trainees, with several graduates receiving awards across different categories.
While Israel Olaloye of Cohort 19 emerged best in Finance and Management, Anthony Akpela of Cohort 20 also emerged best in the same category and in the Sales category, Kafayat Orelope of Cohort 19 came tops, while Favour Eda of Cohort 20 emerged the best.
In the Treasury category, Ismail Lateef of Cohort 19 came tops, while Zainab achieved the same distinction in Cohort 20 while on The Job Performance category, Ismail Lateef representing Cohort 19 carried the day, with Ekenenna Nwobodo achieving the same feat in Cohort 20.
Overall performance awards went to Gift Okoh and Nurudeen Musa of Cohorts 19 and 20 respectively, while the second best performers were Gift Michael of Cohort 19 and Favour Eda of Cohort 20.
The Overall Best Performance awards were carted home respectively by Ismail Lateef of Cohort 19 and Anthony Akpela of Cohort 20 as the best graduating students.
Through initiatives such as GMAP, UBA continues to demonstrate that sustained investment in young people remains one of the most reliable pathways to institutional resilience and long term growth across Africa.
